Drowning in the dream
by BlackxValentine
Summary: If you die in a dream, you wake up. Sometimes that isn't the case, sometimes you die in a dream. You die in real life. AxA One-Shot


**Disclaimer: I don't own Inception**

**Just watched Inception for the first time last week and I LOVED IT! I LOVE ARTHUR! He's probably my favorite character along with Eames. And no, I don't support Arthur/Eames. I support Arthur/Ariadne!**

**Sorry for taking SO long, my computer got a virus and just a lot of real world things got in the way... anyway, Merry Christmas everyone!**

**I really hope I get the characters right, please let me know if any of them are out of character or things I could fix.

* * *

**

_The darkness was broken, streams of strange, bright light breaking through the surface of his pitch black prison. Arthur's lungs screaming as he tried desperately to get through the light, the surface so close and yet so far as his vision clouded and lungs slowly began to fail him._

_His heart skipped a beat as he doubled over in the dark water, the point man could practically feel his skin paling as his lips started to turn blue._

_A sudden beat from his heart jolted him from his semi-conscious thoughts, his tightly shut mouth opening in shock as he was returned to blurred reality. The water flowed in as he tried to catch his breath._

_Forgetting for one moment that he was abandoned in a pit of wet darkness before shutting his mouth, cursing himself for his stupidity as he found his hold on his remaining breath gone._

_Replaced by the choking water as his mouth opened again and his hands gripped at his throat, eyes wide, heart pounding. He began to panic, looking frantically for something to give him breath; the feelings he so rarely showed openly coming out for all to see... Or in this case, no one. He was alone. He was going to die alone, the one thing he did not want to experience in his lifetime._

_His efforts in vain, the only light were the strange streams that seemed to mock him with hope of getting the air that he needed, abandoning his knowledge that he would once again be stopped from breaking the surface. He swam for the light's point of origin._

_Once again finding himself blocked by an invisible wall, as if the dream did not want him to leave. Wanted him to slowly drown._

_'I'm going to die,' he faintly heard the voice in his head whisper; still finding it surprising that after all the times he'd died in a dream, the feeling of dread and fear still linger in his mind and heart... Before his entire world finally faded away and his pain ceased completely.

* * *

_

"Arthur?" Cobb's voice rang out, echoing through the warehouse as his point man continued to sleep. Testing the new form of Somnacin created by Yusuf, said to last longer than the one used on Fischer case.

Unlike that one, this allowed you to not only feel yourself being pushed in the kick but also allowed you to awaken if you are killed in the dream.

The machine made a sound, signifying that Arthur has woken while the slight jump of his body and short intake of breath peeked their curiosity. Taking a moment to glance back and find the forger still deep in his sleep as they waited for Arthur's eyes to open; something that didn't happen like it usually would.

"Arthur?" Cobb repeated, feeling his friend's pulse to find it slow, "it's taking too long, something's wrong."

"What? What do you mean?"

No one answered the young architect as Cobb checked the man's vital signs. His heart beat seemed off while his breathing pattern was changing; the usually soft, and deep breaths were replaced by short breaths and fast chest movements as if he were trying to get air.

This motion of his chest and quick, short breathing continued until shutting down completely, the point man's breathing ceased completely. Obeying his first instinct ripped the useless IV from the man's wrist, moving him from the chair to the floor of the warehouse.

"What happened? It seemed to be going fine."

"I don't know Yusuf, Ariadne; take care of him while I check Eames." Ariadne nodded quickly as her heart iced over, keeping her cool she bend forward.

Pinching shut the point man's nose, her lips covering his to form a seal as she gave him air. All the while thoughts of many different scenarios flowing through her creative mind like a bullet train.

Not knowing the things that Eames was facing in the dream.

* * *

_Arthur's body moved with the small bits of current, his eyes shut as his mind stayed blank. Oblivious to the cold water and the running footsteps above, the muffled stomps of someone searching before they stopped at the point man's location._

_The streams of light now seen as thin pieces of ice to the person above who hit it with some kind of object, feverishly working to free the dying man._

_"In over your head, darling?" Eames whispered, finally breaking through the thin ice and reaching into the water; needles pierced his skin as the ice water seemed to numb his arm._

_He pushed himself deeper until he finally grasped the material of his friends clothing, his numb fingers losing their grip on his wet shirt many times before the man was finally able to pull Arthur from the water._

_"C'mon now," Eames whispered as his friend's head lolled to the side, the wet water sticking to his face as the projections that had been chasing them made it to the ice._

_"Cripes!" Eames shouted, his voice seemed to be carried away by the wind that chilled him as he checked his friend's pulse; his fingertips felt nothing as he sat for a minute to make sure if he felt right, finally lowering his cheek to Arthur's mouth. "No breath, no pulse."_

_"Oi! You die and leave me to deal with your insane projections! Thanks a lot." _

_Eames watched the people get closer before lifting the gun he used to break the ice with to his temple. Feeling the familiar cold metal against his skin before he pulled the trigger.

* * *

_

"Eames, what's going on?" Cobb questioned with his voice raised, the frustration of not knowing what was happening mixed with the pain of seeing Arthur on the ground while Ariadne gave him mouth to mouth. All of the emotions that followed those boiled over, finally eating away at the man's patience as he demanded an answer from the forger.

Eames stepped away from Cobb and Yusuf, glancing over at Arthur and Ariadne who was knelt beside him; not even sparing him a glance as she formed the seal again and watched the point man's chest expand with every breath she gave.

"Eames!"

"I heard you! We were attacked, or rather I was attacked or..." The forger stopped to hold his head in irritation as a headache began to form, his vision still slightly blurry from the stronger Somnacin. "For some reason his sub-conscious attacked both of us."

"That's not possible."

"Well it happened, that new drug must have a strange effect on the sub-conscious." Eames raised his voice this time and immediately regretted it as his head pounded a little more, his eyes again finding Arthur as he clenched his hand.

'Breathe,' he screamed in his mind, the echo of concern and small amount of worry that poured into his internal voice surprised him as the point man finally took a breath. Quickly taking in another and another as Ariadne held him to her in a grateful hug, still keeping in mind to be gentle as he tried to catch his breath.

"Ariad-"

"Shh, relax." Her gentle hand stroked the side of his face just as Cobb, Eames, and Yusuf came into his line of vision. The three of them looking relieved; making Arthur question what had happened just as Cobb and Eames carefully lifted him from the ground.

The feeling of himself leaving the floor, combined with his dizziness and uncertainty of the entire situation caused him to ramble in his mind, the many possibilities of what could have happened before he ultimately fell into a deep slumber that he felt would have its hold on him for a little while.

He knew this room, even while he only sees the darkness of his closed eyes; he knows the room he's in. The quiet moving of the blankets on top of him and the sound of the wind coming in through a window to his left, the entire room pictured in his mind as he fought to awaken.

The soft, queen size bed felt smaller than usual as another weight occupied the other side, the silky cream sheets pulling his body closer to the cool mattress while the pillows beneath his head were larger.

Fluffed more than they'd been before, he swore he could feel every single feather as they cushioned his head. The blanket beneath his hands was large but comfortable; the blank walls were white with dust covering them like a blanket of snow on the ground. Still, the room was not that bad; it was clean and usually kept dusted so the walls wouldn't be too bad.

The short intake of breath, the sweet smell of honey and bananas mixed with the surprising smell of fresh coffee. The hot drink was able to help pull Arthur from his slumber as he felt someone shift on the bed.

Holding his left hand in theirs while keeping their fingers intertwined, his eyes finally obeyed him, allowing him to open them slowly to see a cup of coffee on the table beside him. Standing beside the table was the man he'd come to know and appreciate as a teammate but still find annoying and at the same time smart.

"Eames, what happened?"

"Always so quick to the point, aren't you Arthur?" The forger couldn't hold back his smile as Arthur looked back at him, clearly not amused by the man's attempt to make him laugh as Eames finally gave up the attempt and let him in.

"Basically, Yusuf's drug had a weird affect on your sub-conscious and you ended up underneath a lake while I was running for my life." Eames said casually as if it was nothing at all, taking the cup from the table before handing it to Arthur who took it with a shaky hand.

"Caused you to stop breathing in the real world, luckily Ariadne was there to bring you back."

"Ariadne?"

Eames nodded to the other side of the bed, causing Arthur to turn his head and see the beautiful architect asleep beside him; a small smile gracing his features just as the forger placed the cup again on the table before walking out, only to stop in the doorway.

"Take care of her, stick in the mud... and," he turned in the doorway with a cocky smile that he seemed to have mastered, "welcome back."

**Hey, let me know if I should add a little more to this one-shot or not because I was rushing to finish it. Please let me know your honest thoughts about this and have a wonderful Christmas eve.**


End file.
